Sweet Potatoes
by Liebling
Summary: Charlie writes a letter to Percy. Set during OotP


Authors Note:  
  
An idea. I haven't written all day and it's already late (ooooh) Was out seeing SeaBiscuit with family...was crying a lot because of sappy ending and adorable friend who helped out other adorable friend with such fierce loyalty I just had to break down.  
  
Charlie writes a letter to Percy after the 'big fight' between Percy and Arthur during OotP.  
  
Onward. By the way, a bit of rambling ensues, which makes it even more 'normal.' Lol :-)  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine.  
  
~*~  
  
'Perce,'  
  
His writing was like chicken scratch. The ink was thick on the parchment and the letters were written together and very cramped. After all, he worked with dragons he had no need for letters. Love letters, or letters to his Mother, or to anyone.   
  
'So you had a blasted row with Mum and Dad I hear? I bet that was fun to watch and listen to. In all my nineteen years living at the Burrow I've had some pretty sick fights myself. Nothing out of the ordinary, of course. I wanted to use the car, they said no. I wanted to stay out till three. I wanted more butterbeer, they said 'never.' It's sort of tough.'  
  
He chuckled at the memories and continued to write.  
  
'But what you did, it doesn't make sense. Out of all of us Weasley kids' I've always thought you to be the one who most needed home. We all had our own devices, our own lives, our own needs, we all wanted freedom. You just wanted home. You wanted to sleep on your old comfy bed with dark green comforter and your pillow that Mum made you. You just wanted to be home. Bill and I always used to go out to wild parties and get royally smashed, we didn't want to be home. We wanted to be far away where we could drink what we liked and talk to whom we pleased.'  
  
Once again he let out a low laugh, remembering 'back in the day.' He took a sip of iced water and dipped his quill in the dripping inkwell.  
  
'You've always been different and Bill and I always worried about you. You couldn't stand on your own feet and you desperately wanted to. You had no backbone, kid. You were an empty soul. So we always watched out for you, and I know it got annoying sometimes but without us you would have been locked in broom closets for ages. Not like you didn't deserve it, you prat.'  
  
'But you were our brother, and our brother you will forever remain. And even if you're selfish and petty sometimes you are 'my' selfish and petty brother. Ginny's been a wreck lately. Always saying how much she misses you. I can't take your place, Perce, no one can take your place. I'm surprised she even likes you still, well, not too surprised she always was nurturing and forgiving…and naive.'  
  
'I don't think working for Fudge is worth all this trouble, personally. But then again Mother always called me her "little unmotivated son." It's your life and you ought to do what makes you feel good. That doesn't mean I agree with you, I don't. Nothing is farther than the truth. You're a turncoat and you bloody know it. And guess what? That hurts ME. Because I didn't grow up with a turncoat brother. Not even in the slightest.'  
  
Going through this again almost made him start fuming but he took a deep breath and continued to write as he sloshed pumpkin juice around in his mouth.  
  
'You've always wanted your little lot of power and secretly I could never blame you. For you were you and you were born to have power. You did funny things when you were a kid, did I tell you? You had this fond obsession of sweet potatoes and you ate them all. I wanted some sweet potatoes too, you know. And you never rode a broom. Which was really quite pathetic on the whole. Bill and I tried to teach you, but you weren't made to fly. You used to always wear your scarlet cloak around the house and proclaim you were 'Godric Gryffindor.' If only.'  
  
Looking down at the yellowing parchment he could barely make out his own writing.  
  
'Dad always tells us how mad he is. He isn't mad though, not really. He's hurt. He's in pain. Mum and Dad always fawned over you, for you were Percy and that held its own sort of magic. So when you went off on them like that and showed that extreme sort of emotion that scared them. And when you slammed the door and went to Penny's flat, that hurt them even more. Because you *needed* something and you didn't *need* it from them. So I guess the girl with ebony hair and braids would just have to do.'  
  
'You won't find what you need there. Not really. You don't need Penny or her chocolate concoctions, you don't need to just 'get back to work quickly' or to read. You need your family, you need your home, you need your bed. And Penny can't give you that. Not even sort of. You'll keep looking and what you need and desire is right in front of your eyes. And that makes it even sadder.'  
  
He smiled grimly and petted the stuffed dragon next to him.  
  
'I'm hurt too, Perce. And I wouldn't like to admit it, but I can't deny it. Because even for you it must be hard to deny what's staring you in the eyes. You aren't happy. You aren't successful. You're Percy Henry Weasley and you're vulnerable and scared and...alone'  
  
'Am I mad at you? Probably, deep down I am. Probably I hate you right now. Probably I'd like to see you die a very painful death for all the pain you've caused us. But we don't always get what we asked for. And 'probably' doesn't mean 'always.' I know you aren't crying right now, you probably aren't even wincing. You've always been strong, and I have to give you credit for that. Even if you don't deserve it.'  
  
'I miss that when I stop by for dinner you don't take all the sweet potatoes and then laugh. I miss teasing you and ruffling your ginger hair. I miss seeing you and Ginny talk about juniper trees, peppermint toads and the sky. I miss the way Bill and I always had to protect you from the 'big bad Slytherins.' The sad thing is...you still need protecting.'  
  
He sighed. This was easier than he thought. The words poured on the paper.   
  
'I don't wonder how you're doing...I know, you are my brother after all. I understood you even when you were attempting to be deep and intelligent. You're miserable and prideful and you're suffering. And Penny is probably saying 'there there dear' and it doesn't even matter. You probably go to sleep on the couch on her flat, the one with all the buttons on it, and you probably don't even sleep. You probably stay awake muttering to yourself or looking at the dark ceiling. And you probably eat the dry biscuits and ice water, and you go to work for Fudge and deny Dumbledore. And your life probably stinks so much right now.'  
  
'But you're surviving, you always have. You're hanging by a thread and holding onto nothing. You have your dreams but even those are crumbling. You probably do enough just to get by.'  
  
'You'd be a lot happier here. Back at the Burrow. I can't say, "I thought I knew you...but I really didn't" because I knew you, and I still do actually.'  
  
'You're Percy Weasley and you are my brother. And you can't deny blood.'  
  
He coughed loudly and closed the window of his study. The breeze chilled him, or maybe it was merely something else.  
  
Picking up the quill once more:  
  
'Charlie.' 


End file.
